


Through The Ash

by casanovica



Category: JackSepticEye (YouTube RPF), Markiplier (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Firefighter AU, Fluff, Kittens, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5213393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casanovica/pseuds/casanovica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark becomes attached to a kitten he finds in the wreckage of a house fire. Will his boyfriend Jack approve?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through The Ash

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic here on Ao3! I realized it was finally time I got an account.
> 
> I wrote this little thing a while ago and it can also be found on my Tumblr: markipliereatsgames
> 
> Enjoy!

Leftover smoke partially clouded Mark’s vision as he traversed through the empty rooms. Though the fire had been extinguished, traces of its destruction were left as scars on the walls and ceiling of the poor family’s home. The mother and father huddled with their children outside as the LAFD assessed the damages to their dwelling. The kitchen took most of the damage, along with the bedroom directly above it. Luckily, it was a guest room and no one was in there at the time. Mark was glad no one was unfortunate enough to be injured by the fire. He had too many memories of those who had. At least he had Jack, his wonderful boyfriend and comforting pair of ears, to help him after he experienced the aftermath of a particularly devastating fire.

After checking all rooms for any collapsed ceilings, he and his fellow firefighters began to exit the building to report to their captain. As he was leaving the garage area, he noticed something orange and white out of the corner of his eye, and walked over to it. Shining his flashlight on it, Mark was surprised to find the body a tiny kitten sticking out through the soot and smoke. His heart ached for the lifeless animal, and he sighed as he saw the ashes covering the poor thing’s fur. Fires were so devastating to all creatures, but he found it was often the animals that would fall victim, unable to escape. He stretched his gloved hand to stroke it. As Mark rubbed his finger along the kitten’s tummy, he felt it take a slow, shallow breath. The movement caused him to jump back for a moment in surprise. He pulled his hand back and watched its torso rise and fall once more. Eyes trained on the body lying in front of him, he watched, motionless, as the kitten struggled to breathe

Hope filled him as he carefully pulled the kitten to his chest and ran to the fire truck outside. Silently, he made a vow to himself that he’d do anything in his power to ensure the safety and happiness of the creature. He cradled the tiny body against him with one arm and tossed his helmet and mask to the grass with the other. Not bothering to tell his superiors, he pulled out an oxygen tank and mask from a compartment on the truck. His hands shook as he fumbled to place the oxygen mask on the kitten’s tiny snout. He rubbed its neck with his thumb, willing it to survive.

“Please. Please, live.” He whispered to the cat’s unconscious body. “C’mon.”

Almost like a response, the kitten’s head twitched, and it let out a faint meow. Mark’s face lit up as he saw the tiny legs stretch out. Its breathing evened out, and the meows coming from the cat became more pronounced. The squeaks were a relief to hear, and drew the attention of another firefighter, Arin.

“Is that a kitten?” Arin asked, popping up behind him. He looked at the creature with amazement and curiosity. “They didn’t tell us they had a kitten.”

Mark shrugged, removing the mask from the now antsy animal. “I’m just glad I found it. Little baby might not have survived if I hadn’t.” 

“She’s lucky. That smoke is one wicked demon.”

The kitten shakily climbed out of Mark’s hand and settled into the crook of his bent elbow. “She?” Mark wondered.

“Yeah.” Arin pointed to the kitten’s fur. “Look at her coat. She’s a calico. Like 99% of calicos are female. Turn on the Discovery Channel sometime.”

Mark chuckled. “I guess.” The loud meows coming from the tiny ball of fur turned into soft, content mews as he rubbed her head with his finger. For a fleeting second, the image of the kitten, curled up, asleep on his chest, passed through his mind. Mark would be lying if he said it didn’t warm his heart.

Arin caught on to the way his friend was staring fondly at the kitten. He remembered the family only a few feet away from them, most likely eagerly awaiting news on their companion. For his own good, Arin knew it would be best to break the connection before Mark got too attached. “We should give the kitten back now. They’re probably worried about her.”

Mark’s face visibly fell. He dropped his hand from petting her and looked up. She immediately perked up at the lack of contact. “Yeah. We probably should.” 

They walked over to the family, who just finished getting checked up by a paramedic. They were not as visibly distressed as they had been when the firefighters arrived, but still were shaken, nonetheless. All four heads perked up as the two men approached them.

“Here’s your kitten.” Mark said solemly, holding her out for them to reclaim. “She’s a fighter. You guys are really lucky to have a cat as strong as this one.”

The husband and wife looked at each other in confusion, while their children gasped and aww’ed at the baby animal. “We don’t have any pets.” The wife spoke. “I think I used to see a mom cat that looked like that one hang around here.” 

“Yeah.” Affirmed the husband. “I have no idea how a cat would’ve gotten in, though.”

“So, she’s not your cat?” Mark hoped the family didn’t catch the spark of enthusiasm is his voice. It would probably sound rude to someone who just lost their home.

“No, sorry.” He replied. Mark pulled the cat against his chest once more, and she snuggled against him, tickling his heart. He immediately began preparing a mental list of names that would suit her. There was even the shop down the road of his place that made personalized cat bowls. 

Arin pulled him by the collar off to the side of the fire truck. “Mark, don’t tell me you want to take this cat home.”

“What? I never said that.” Mark feigned innocence, but continued to brainstorm gifts for the kitten. A cat tree would really give his living room a sense of character. “And if I did what would be so bad about that?”

Arin crossed his arms. “Number one, you don’t know the first thing about taking care of a kitten. She doesn’t even look old enough to eat dry food yet.”

Mark defensively brought his other hand up to cup her head, shielding her, almost. “That’s what Google is for, Arin.” 

“Fine. But number two, you haven’t even told Jack.” 

Shit. The entire time, his boyfriend hadn’t crossed his mind. Mark suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over him. How could he forget the man who he not only loved, but also shared a home with? He glanced down at the kitten in his arms, softly purring in contentment. A tug of adoration pulled at his heartstrings. He remembered Jack telling him he liked cats on a date long before. Besides, even if he was less than thrilled at the idea, Jack could never say no to that face. Right?

“It’ll be a surprise. We’d been talking about getting a dog, anyway. Same basic thing.”

Arin lifted his eyebrows and shook his head. “Fine. But, when gets pissed at you, I’ll make sure he knows I tried to talk you out of it.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Ha ha ha. I’ll make sure he knows that when he falls in love with her.”

Arin stepped closer in order to get a closer look at her. He had to admit, she was one adorable kitten. “I think Suzy and I still have some stuff from when Mochi and Mimi were babies. It’s just collecting dust at the back of our closet. You can have it if you want.”

“Thanks.” He put on a high-pitched voice in attempt to personify the kitten. “Thank you, Uncle Arin for not being such a poopy pants.” 

The boys shared a laugh before heading back to report to their captain.

-

Jack sat on his and Mark’s living room couch, flipping through channels on their TV. He stuffed cold spaghetti into his mouth, trying to take his mind off Mark. His boyfriend was over an hour late, which was really unusual for him. He tried not to worry, but all he could think about was the environment Mark worked in. There were so many tragedies that could befall a firefighter, and Jack had considered each of them at least once. He knew Mark loved helping people, Jack just wished he’d have picked a less dangerous way to do it. Jack switched the TV off and reached for his phone, hoping to find a call or a text, but found nothing. He was about to pull up the local news page when he heard the front door open. 

Almost causing whiplash, Jack quickly twisted his head around to see Mark. Seeing he was completely safe, he let out a small sigh of relief. “Mark, you had me so worried.”

“Sorry, I was a bit preoccupied. But, I did bring us a present.” Mark lifted the small pet carrier up by his beaming face. Jack was stunned for a moment, then confused. It wasn’t until he heard a tiny voice begin meowing, that he understood what Mark was saying. 

“Why do you have a cat?” Jack questioned, approaching the carrier slowly.

“Well, we responded to a fire today, and it wasn’t all that bad or different. But, I found this kitten amidst the rubble and I saved her and when I asked the family-.” 

He cut off Mark’s rambling. “Yeah, okay, why is it here, in our apartment.”

“She needed a home.” Mark put down the carrier on the kitchen table. After opening the cage door, he fished her out and held her against his shoulder. “She had been through so much, and she kinda bonded with me when I resuscitated her, so I figured we could adopt her.”

“And you never thought to ask me?”

Mark put on his pouty face and puppy dog eyes. “C’mon, Jack. At least think about it.”

He shook his head in defiance. “Nope. Cats are too much work and they’re sketchy creatures. ‘S gonna pee everywhere and tear up the furniture.”

“The couch is already crappy, and Arin’s going to bring a litter box over later.”

“Arin knows?” Jack raised his voice in question, folding his arms over his chest. “Does everybody but me know of your plan?”

“No.” Mark scoffed. “Just Arin. And Suzy, obviously. Probably Danny, too. Someone might’ve told Wade and Bob.”

“So everyone?”

“Just think about it. Please?” Mark was doing the puppy dog eyes. He raised the kitten from his shoulder to face Jack. “I dare you to not love a face like this.”

Two tiny green eyes stared into his. The kitten produced an almost silent meow at the man she faced. Jack’s couldn’t help it when his heart melted a little bit. He stared at the furry face and tried to find an excuse to say no, to demand Mark take her back where she came from. He couldn’t think of a single one. 

“Fine.” Jack took her from the firefighter’s hands and cradled her like a baby. “But you’re cleaning her shite and hairballs and all that.” 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Mark grabbed the sides of his boyfriend’s face and kissed his forehead. “I’m going to get some other things Arin gave me from the car.”

As Mark rushed out the door, Jack chuckled. Of course he knew he’d be able to convince him to keep her. Though he put up a bit of a fight, he couldn’t help but fall under her spell. The kitten climbed up his shirt and sat on his shoulder, biting at the hair on the top of his neck. Jack squealed with laughter, clutching his head. “Stop. That tickles.” She meowed loudly in response. He carefully returned her to his chest. “You’re a feisty little one aren’t you?” She grabbed one of his fingers between her teeth and he waggled it around, giggling as she played with it.

“Well that was fast.” Mark appeared at the doorway with boxes of toys, cat food and other items for the kitten. “I thought it would take you at least a day to warm up to her.”

“Shut up. I couldn’t help it.” She was now swatting at his hand with her little paws.

After putting the boxes down, he led Jack to the couch, where he put his arm around him as they sat down. “I think she likes you.”

“How can she not? No one can resist this Irish charm.” 

Mark laughed, watching his boyfriend beam as he rubbed the kitten’s furry belly. He placed his fingers on Jack’s chin, turning it to face him. “I love you, you know.”

Jack gently placed a soft kiss on Mark’s warm lips, feeling him smile. Resting his forehead on the other man’s, he whispered, “I love you, too, you goober.”

The kitten purred from between them. “Yes, we know. You love us too.” Mark chuckled, letting his head fall onto Jack’s shoulder. As Jack felt the soft hair against his neck, he in turn, rested his head on top of Marks.

In the calm silence, Mark appreciated the two distinct breathings beside him. Love swelled inside of him as he contemplated his new, little family. He hadn’t expected it when he charged inside of a burning building this morning. But in that moment, he knew he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.


End file.
